Romans 10

The following material is adopted from John MacArthur’s commentary on Romans and his Study guide. Additional material taken from sources listed at the end

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— Prayers ( Blue )

— Promises ( Green )

— Warnings ( Red )

— Commands ( Purple )

Israel’s Failure - Part 1: Ignorance of the Person of God: His Righteousness ( 10:1-3 )

( Romans 10:1–3 ) “Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.”

— It will be helpful to look at a crucial issue in Scripture, the matter of truth

— John pronounced that Jesus was “full of grace and truth” ( Jn 1:14 )

— While teaching in the treasury of the temple, “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” ( Jn 8:31-32 ) — Jesus declared “I am the way, the truth and the life” ( Jn 14:6 )

— He said in fact, that everyone that is of the truth hear me ( John 18:37 )

— The apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 11:10 called the gospel the gospel of truth

— And Paul said in 2 Thessalonians 2:10 that men must be committed to the love of the truth

— And those who believe the truth, he says in 2 Thessalonians 2:13, are saved. And in the verse before, those who believe not are dammed.

— The gospel puts a high premium on God’s truth

— The gospel is the life-changing, sin-cleansing, salvation-giving, soul-transforming, heaven-opening truth that only comes through trust in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord

— Because the OT was written in Hebrew and most Jews of the NT era only spoke Aramaic, the scribes had to translate and interpret Scripture

— The people were completely reliant on their leaders for any knowledge of God’s Word

A citadel of Knowledge

— In the time of Jesus Jerusalem had become a citadel of knowledge, a citadel of the pursuit of truth

— Scribes were venerated and honored

— People believed that they had a certain esoteric, mystical knowledge of secret things that no one else could find and no one else could understand

— They were the interpreters of God’s law and the popular ones had tremendous influence, tremendous ability to lead the people

—In fact, some historians believe that it was some of these popular rabbis who incited the people to the riots of A.D. 66 which ended in the destruction of Jerusalem

— When a scribe passed by, it says everyone stood, except the tradesmen who were at work. They were excused. Everyone else stood up as they came down the road

— They were called rabbi. They were called teacher.  And sometimes, and they preferred this, they were called father

Important feasts that you might have or important festivals or banquets were always ornamented by placing prominent, well-known and well-respected rabbis at key places in the feast. And they always sat in the highest places.  In the synagogue the rabbi would sit with his back against a cupboard.  And we saw many of these cupboards in Israel where the Torah was kept.  Those cupboards are sort of a reminder of the holy place in the Holy of Holies and the rabbi would sit with his back against the cupboard containing the Torah, the seat of great prominence, demonstrating in a physical way his identification with knowledge. Tombs of rabbis were venerated with superstitious awe.  They grew to be surrounded by legends of...and sagas of their deeds which were always magnified and magnified and magnified.

Since the Old Testament was written in Hebrew and the people in Jesus' time and the apostles' time spoke primarily Aramaic, the scribes also had another function and that was to translate the Hebrew text into Aramaic for the people.  And so the people were very dependent on these men, who supposedly lived to know God's truth and to propagate it to others.

but not in accordance with knowledge

— But, notice Romans 10:2: But not according to knowledge and the beginning of verse 3: for they, being ignorant of God’s righteousness

— What an incredible statement

— These people, who had been bound up in the pursuit of knowledge and truth, were ignorant of the truth

— Jesus reminded them of their ignorance speaking to the Pharisees who say unto Him, “Where’s your father? Jesus answered, You neither know Me nor my Father” (Jn 8:19)

— Countless OT and NT speak of Israel’s spiritual ignorance and the terrible consequences

— Through Isaiah the Lord declared, “Therefore My people go into exile for their lack of knowledge; And their honorable men are famished, And their multitude is parched with thirst.” ( Is 5:13 , cf. Hos 4:6 )

— Throughout their history, the Jews thought they knew God’s truth

— But Isaiah says that an ox knows its owner and a donkey its master, but Israel doesn’t know me ( Is 1:2-4 )

— They thought they had the truth and they missed it - the coming of their Messiah

— Paul was a blasphemer and a persecutor before his conversion because of ignorance ( 1 Tim 1:12-13 )

Paul’s Prayer for Israel ( 10:1 )

( Romans 10:1 ) “Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation.”

— Chapter 9 was no doubt offensive to many Jews

— He knew that it would be offensive for them because God hadn’t elected all of them to salvation

— He began that chapter with great tenderness and a graceful spirit.

— I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart ( 9:2 )

— In Chapter 10 he knows that this chapter will be equally offensive because it is going to mark their ignorance and unbelief

— He begins with the same tenderness: my hearts desire and my prayer to God is for their salvation

— The word prayer there, deēsis is a word that conveys the idea of begging, pleading

— My greatest desire, my greatest pleading with God is for Israel's salvation

— He believed they could be saved if they would place their trust in their Messiah and Savior

The Ignorant Zeal of Israel ( 10:2 )

( Romans 10:2 ) “For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge.”

— Paul earnestly desired and prayed for Israel’s salvation

— He knew that that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge

— The apostle knew from this own experience as a radically zealous Pharisee that most Jews of that day were religious but yet far from God

— He spoke from his own experience ( Gal 1:13-14; Phil 3:5-6; Acts 22:3, 26:5 )

— Paul had given his testimony in a lot of places that he was up to his ears with zeal.  And he understood the Jews' desire to see the promise of God fulfilled, to fulfill the commandments of God, to accomplish the purposes of God as they so wrongly understood them

— But not according to knowledge

But notice the end of verse 2.  "Not according to knowledge."  Now when zeal is related to knowledge it's a blessed thing.  But when zeal is misinformed, it is misdirected and it's a dangerous thing.  The Jews had zeal, now watch this, but not according to epignosis.  They had gnosis, sort of a head knowledge, superficial knowledge.  They had information but they had no epignosis, deep knowledge.  They had the information.  You know the kind of information they had?  The kind Paul spoke of in 1 Corinthians 8:1 when he said, "Knowledge puffs up." Remember that?  They had enough intellectual data in their heads to be proud but not true knowledge that makes you what? Humble. They didn't have the true knowledge that brings holiness, that brings humility.  They didn't have the epignosis.

Paul gives five reasons for the ignorance of Israel

Isreal was ignorant of the person of God

Ignorant of the provision of Christ

Ignorant of the place of faith

Ignorant of the extent of salvation

Ignorant of the predictions of scripture

Ignorant of the Person of God ( 10:3 )

( Romans 10:3 ) “For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.”

— They underestimated God’s character and thought that God is more tolerant of sin ghat he is

— Through Jeremiah, the Lord warned his people if they are to boast, boast that he understands and knows me ( Jer 9:23-24)

— If someone is going to boast, let him boast in how righteous God is

— Psalm 145:17 “The Lord is righteous in all His ways And kind in all His deeds.”

— The Jews didn’t know how holy God was ( Ex 15:11; 2 Chron 20:21 ) and had brought Him down

— Even his name is holy (Ps 103:1; Ps 22:3; 99:5; 47:8 )

Psalm 11:7 says, "For the Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness."  That simply means what's right, what's holy, what's without sin, without flaw, without error.  So God's holiness is seen in righteousness.  Because God is holy, because He's perfectly pure, He wills, He thinks, He feels, He says and He does what is right, and that's righteousness.  So they're so inextricably connected that you can't really separate them.  He is so perfect that all that He thinks and feels and does is perfect, it's righteous.  Some theologians have put it this way, for those of you who like theological terms, "Righteousness is transitive holiness, it is manifest holiness."  It means that because He's perfect He always does what is perfectly right. Righteousness is not arbitrary. It is not alterable or changeable.  He is always perfectly righteous, totally pure, without any sin.  Now any man who thinks he can attain to that level is an absolute fool and is living under a sad, tragic illusion.

— The Jews are not alone in this

— Think of the run of the mill people in the world, they don’t understand how righteous God is either

— If they really understood how holy God is, you think they'd live the way they live?

— You see, that's why men sort of have fabricated a God who is sort of a passive Grandfather-type who looks down and is very benevolent and He forgives and it's alright, and everything is going to be okay

— We've made Him into a benign Santa Claus

— Men refuse to believe in a God who hates their sin and who is perfect in holiness

— We see it in our evangelism

— We underplay the holiness of God, don't we? 

— We underplay the righteousness of God

— We underplay His hatred of sin, His promise of inevitable judgment

—  The Bible says our God is a consuming fire; People don't know that, see

— Jews were ignorant of that and it was a contributor to their unbelief

— They were ignorant of the person of God

— They didn't know how holy He was ( Ps 50:21 )

— They didn't know how righteous He was

— Lack of knowledge is tied to lack of faith

— This statement sounds hard to swallow

— But Paul says that Israel’s failure in righteousness was due to failure in faith: “Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness did not arrive at that law” Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. they stumbled over the stumbling stone. ( Rom 9:31-32 )

— The whole Old Testament God kept demonstrating and demonstrating and demonstrating His holy hatred of sin

— The book of Proverbs alone, 18 times it says, fear the Lord, fear the Lord

— God didn’t tolerate sin then or now

— The sinner in the presence of a holy God know that he can’t stand in that presence ( Ish 6:5; Luke 8:5 )

Categories in which we see the Perfection of God

— In the matter of worship

— Deuteronomy 6:4 ““Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!”

— The Family (Lev 19)

— Established one man and one women

— Established rulers of children, which is dealt with the Proverbs

—Instructions to the family: Deuteronomy 6:6 “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.”

— Life

— Clear commands against murder (Gen 9:5)

— When you murder someone, you kill the very image of God

— Why wasn’t Cain killed ( Deut 21:18-21 )

— Teaches that family cannot kill a family member

— Reserved for government

— Cain was spared but not the punishment of God

— Abortion

— Job 10:8 “Your hands fashioned and made me altogether, And would You destroy me?”

— Psalm 139:13 “For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb.”

— John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit inside the womb ( Luke 1:15 )

— Ex 21:22 Life for life if a pregnant women is hurt and loses the child

— What about polygamy?

— Lamech was a polygamist God drowned the whole world including Lamech

— Esau had 3 wives and was also a profane person ( Heb 12:16 )

— Jacob married two sisters and also had a life of grief

— No where does the bible approve of polygamy

Israel’s Failure— Part 2: Ignorance of the Provisions of Christ ( 10:4-10 )

( Romans 10:4–10 ) “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. For Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on law shall live by that righteousness. But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down), or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).” But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”

— As Paul has stressed in the first three verses of chapter 10, the Jews were ignorant of the person of God

— They were ignorant of His perfect holiness and righteousness

— They were ignorant of the divine standard of holiness that He demands of all ment

—And if anything, God’s standard for Israel was higher than for Gentiles

— They were ignorant of the provision of Christ

( Rom 10:4 ) For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes

— They sought righteousness by their own works

— They stumbled on the stumbling stone

— He condemned their works system as a way to at attain salvation

— Jesus came to provide a righteousness that they could never attain

— Matthew 9:12 “But when Jesus heard this, He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick.”

— The Pharisees condemned Jesus for being with sinners

— Jesus said He came to sick people, to people who knew that they were sinners

— As long as you think you are righteous, I can’t help you

R.C. Sproul

It is also equally impossible for any human being by strength of his virtue or righteousness to descend into the pit of hell and bring Christ back from the dead. When Christ was executed, the disciples fled as sheep without a shepherd. They were in despair because they knew it was totally beyond their power to bring Jesus back from the grave. Paul is saying that it is impossible for someone to be saved through the works of the law just as it is impossible to bring Jesus back from the dead or to bring Him down from heaven.

( Rom 10:4a ) For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness

— Because of that arrogant self-satisfaction and self-righteousness, Jews were blind to the marvelous truth of the New Covenant, that Christ is the end of the law for righteousness

— They stumbled over the stumbling stone ( Rom 9:32-33; cf. Isa 8:14-15; 28:16 )

— Paul counted all his accomplishments as loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ ( Phil 3:5-6; 8-9 )

Now some have interpreted this verse in other ways.  They read it, "Christ is the end of the law for righteousness” as some historical concept, that Christ is the fulfillment of the law by being the reality that it points to, like in Matthew 5:17 and 18.  Other say, it means that Christ is the fulfillment of the law because He lived it to perfection. Others say, Christ is the end, or the fulfillment of the Old Covenant because He introduces the New Covenant.

But I don't believe this verse can say anything historical particularly.  I don't think it's talking about Christ coming and being the fulfillment of the Old Testament, being the fulfillment in terms of the New Covenant replacing the Old, or being the embodiment of all that the Old Covenant called for.  Because I don't think the verse is talking about historical issues. And the key is the last phrase.  It could say Christ is the end of the law for righteousness, period. And we could say that's historical.  Boy, when He came it ended the law.  When He came He fulfilled the law.  When He came He perfected the New Covenant and so it's the end of that Old.  But it doesn't say it's historical.  It says He's the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believes.  Now that qualifies the rest of the verse.  If that wasn't there we could interpret it historically.  But this verse is saying Christ is the termination of the law for righteousness only to people who believe.  The point is, once a person believes in Christ the quest for righteousness through works ends.  That's the point.

Listen, all that historical stuff is true of Him if nobody believes, right?  I mean, He is the end of the law in terms of being the one to whom it pointed historically.  He is the end of the law in terms of being the one who lived it out in fulfillment.  He is the end of the law in the sense that He replaced the Old Covenant with the New Covenant, but that would all be true if nobody believed.  What he's saying here is He is the end of the quest for righteousness by works to those that believe.  Once you believe that quest is over.  I mean, I may think I'm going to get to God and honor God by doing my works, but once I come and see the truth of Christ and embrace the truth of Christ by faith and He gives to me His own righteousness, that quest is over.  I'm no longer seeking righteousness through law which I have received as a gift through faith.  Understood?  When people come to believe in Christ, He ends the effort at self- salvation.  There never was, there never will be righteousness by law, by works.  But in a lot of peoples' mind there is and they're after it with all they can get.  They're going to get into heaven by their good works.

— We are no longer trying to be saved by works

— Once we have embraced Christ our quest is over

— 2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

— Isaiah saw it

— Isaiah 45:24 Isaiah said this, beautiful statement, "In the Lord I have righteousness." 

— The word law isn’t necessarily talking about Mosaic law

— It is talking about the idea of law

— That is, saving myself by keeping commandments, keeping laws, religious rules and so forth

— Can you imagine that person in Israel who was burdened down with all the stuff the Pharisees piled on people

— The burden was unbearable

— You go through your life with this horrendous weight of leg stuff that you have to perform, trying your best to have your good deeds outweigh your bad

— The Gospel is such good news!

— For all those that believe Christ grants us righteousness in Him

—“It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” ( Gal 5:1 )

Israel was ignorant of basic stuff

— Who God was

— What Christ did

— The role of Faith

Israel was Ignorant of the Place of Faith ( 10:4b-10 )

( Rom 10:4b-10 ) to everyone who believes. For Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on law shall live by that righteousness. But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down), or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).” But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”

— Now to verify the place of faith, Paul goes back and quotes Moses

— He doesn't want to be criticized for having some new doctrine so he reaches back and uses Mosaic sources

— Paul reminds his readers that Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on law shall live by that righteousness

— First of all, he's going to show that Moses talks about law righteousness

— Then he's going to show that Moses talks about faith righteousness

—   Moses talked about righteousness by law

— And he makes reference here to Leviticus 18:5, Leviticus 18:5

And what does Leviticus 18:5 say?  Basically what it says at the end of verse 5.  "The man who does these things shall live by them."  Now that's what Moses said about the righteousness of the law.  That simple, direct statement pushed to its limit means this, if you are going to think you attain righteousness by doing these things then you are bound to live by them.  That's the implication.  In other words, if you say you're coming this way, the demand is for absolute perfection.  That's the way Paul sees the statement of Leviticus 18:5.  He uses it to emphasize that thought, that to attain righteousness through keeping the law of God means you've got to live that way all the time.  Which is what?  Impossible.  It's absolutely impossible.  That's what Moses said about law righteousness.  It's impossible, but theoretically if it were possible, which it isn't, you'd have to keep the law all the time, all the time, all the time.

— In other words, whoever relies on his own obedience to the law is held accountable for everything that the law requires

— As James says, “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.” ( James 2:10 )

— The truths that Paul emphasizes here may be summarized as follows:

— First, the man who pursues salvation by trying to keep the law will be judged on the basis of that effort

— Second, it is impossible to keep all the law

— Third, the inevitable failure of works-righteousness results in eternal damnation

— But as Paul makes clear earlier in this epistle

— “The law brings about wrath” ( Rom 4:15 )

— The law both demonstrates and incites man’s natural lawlessness and releases God’s wrath against him

— The law justifies no one, redeems no one, provides mercy for no one

— By the law, man is left to his own resources, all of which are imperfect, sinful, and powerless to save

— Moses also wrote about justification by faith

— Look at Deut 30:10 ; Paul quotes 30:12-14

— And it says, "If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this book of the law and if thou turn unto the Lord thy God,” watch this, “with all thine heart and with all thy soul."

— He's calling them to obedience, but it's not external, it's what?  It's internal, in the heart, in the soul

—   And Paul assures us that the intent of this passage in Deuteronomy is a call to faith

— He even calls it in Romans 10:8 the word of faith.  It is a call to a heart response.  It is a call to faith.

— Deuteronomy is not simply a call to legal externalism; it is a call to respond in faith to a covenant of grace.

— Following the order of verse 8, which quotes Deuteronomy 30:14, Paul speaks first of confession, which is with the mouth, and then of faith, which is in the heart

— Here in verse 10, however, he mentions them in reverse order

— This is the chronological order of redemption

— First, with the heart man believes and is granted righteousness

— Second, with the mouth he confesses and is granted salvation

True vs false righteousness

— Paul has been speaking about true and false righteousness

— False righteousness is based on the law ( Rom 10:5)

— This is impossible to fulfill

— True righteousness is based on faith in Christ ( vv. 6-8)

— It is of great significance that in verse 10 Paul equates righteousness and salvation

— Only the person who is righteous before God is truly saved

— Righteousness has to do with what we become, and salvation has to do with what we escape

— The first has to do with eternal life we receive but do not deserve

— The second with eternal punishment we deserve but do not receive

— Paul here specifies two truths that must be believed in order to be saved

— The first is that Jesus is Lord, the second that God raised Him from the dead

A person can hold orthodox theology, lead a moral life, acknowledge his sin, desire eternal life, be scrupulously religious, and yet go to hell. Jesus encountered such superficial and spurious “believers” early in His ministry. “When He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, beholding His signs which He was doing. But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men” ( John 2:23-24). Those disciples apparently acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah (believing “in His name”), and unlike the Pharisees (see Matt 12:24), they believed that His supernatural powers were from God. But they did not submit themselves to Him as their Lord and Savior

That was also the response of the rich young ruler, who appeared willing to do what Jesus told him in order to inherit eternal life - except acknowledge his sin and repent, as well as relinquish the riches which were his first love and then serve Jesus as Lord (see Matt 19:16-22). Similarly, three other men professed willingness to follow Jesus but put their own preferences above His authority, proving themselves to be false disciples (Luke 9:57-62).

Israel’s Failure — The Predictions of Scripture ( 10:11-21 )

( Romans 10:11–21 ) “For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!” However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. But I say, surely they have never heard, have they? Indeed they have; “Their voice has gone out into all the earth, And their words to the ends of the world.” But I say, surely Israel did not know, did they? First Moses says, “I will make you jealous by that which i…”

—Paul continues to discuss Israel’s failure to believe the gospel

— He points out that Israel’s disbelief was not a surprise, but long beforehand was predicted in Scripture

— However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?”

— There must be volition, choice on our part

— Not a lopsided theology that puts everything on God’s side

— Salvation has a sense of obedience with submission

— Acts 6:7 “The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.”

— Salvation = obedience

— However, they did not all heed the good news

— Obey is hupakouo

— acoustics from this word

— It means to hear

— hupo means “under,” therefore to hear under means to get under someone in submission

— They have not all heard it submissively with obedience

— Implies that salvation inherently has in it submission and obedience to Christ

— Saving faith implies obedience

— Romans 1:5 “through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake,”

— Romans 2:8 “but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation.”

— Romans 6:17 “But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed,”

— Hebrews 5:9 “And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation,”

Salvation is a step into obedience to the truth.  And being unsaved is not to obey the truth.  It is not simply believing as if that's all there is to it.  Oh yes, I believe in God, I believe in Jesus, I believe.  It is believing and submitting obediently.

Look at 2 Thessalonians for a moment, chapter 1 verse 8, and here he talks about the coming of Christ who is going to judge the ungodly.  He says, "The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels," and now verse 8, "in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God,” now watch this, “and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ."  You see, receiving the gospel has inherent in it obedience.  In other words, I submit myself to the leadership, the headship, the lordship of Christ.  I will obey.

The Parameters of Salvation ( 10:11-18 )

( Romans 10:11–18 ) “For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!” However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. But I say, surely they have never heard, have they? Indeed they have; “Their voice has gone out into all the earth, And their words to the ends of the world.”

—Because most Jews strongly rejected the idea that God’s grace extended to Gentiles, they were willingly ignorant of the full measure and extent of God provision for redemption

— They knew, of course, that Ruth, a Moabite, was the great-grandmother of David

— But they insisted that such Gentiles who converted to Judaism and were blessed by God were exceptions that proved the rule

— But Paul declares that God’s extending His salvation to all Gentiles was nothing new

— The scripture says through Isaiah, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed” (cf. Isa 28:16)

— In fact, Israel was to be his witness nation, “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Ex 19:6), to preach salvation in the true God to the rest of the world

— Paul said to the believers in Corinth, “If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature” ( 2 Cor 5:17, emphasis added)

— The barrier to salvation, therefore, is not racial or cultural but personal rejection of the God who offers it

— People perish because they refuse to “receive the love of the truth so as to be saved” ( 2 Thess 2:10 )

— The classical biblical example of Jewish religious and racial pride and reluctance to reach Gentiles is found in the prophet Jonah when he was told to preach in Nineveh

— The immense city had perhaps 600,000 inhabitants

— Ninevites, like all other Assyrians, were noted for their immorality and idolatry

— Assyrian soldiers were infamous for their merciless brutality

— When the Lord called Jonah to preach to that wicked city, he immediately took a ship in the opposite direction

— Jonah’s concern was not that his preaching might fail but that it might succeed

— When the Ninevites repented from the king down to the lowest servant, Jonah became angry and prayed to the Lord and said,

“Please Lord, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country? Therefore in order to forestall this I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity.” ( Jonah 4:1-2 )

— The work in Nineveh was an object lesson

— First it demonstrated the power of the Word and not the preacher

— Second, it was intended to shame Jonah and all other self-righteous, hard-hearted Israelites

— Tragically, Isreal never learned the lesson that God’s plan of salvation is for everyone

In the modern state of Israel, most Jews, including many who are not religious, still strongly resent and oppose Christian missionary work in their country. Although Jews consider all other religions to be false, they are particularly fervent in their opposition to Christianity. Like the Jews in Jerusalem who decried Paul’s visit to the temple, they view Christianity as a Gentile religion that is specifically “against [their] people, and the Law” ( Acts 21:28). And they make little or now effort to convert Gentiles to Judaism.

— Paul quotes another prophet, Joel, who centuries earlier had declared to Israel the extent of saving grace when he said that whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved (see Joel 2:32)

— In the OT the phrase call upon the name of the Lord was especially associated with the right worship of the true God ( Ps 79:5-6; 105:1; 116:4-5)

— The word Lord represents the covenant name, Yahweh, or Jehovah — which is rendered in many translations with small capital letters LORD

— This was not a desperate cry to any deity but a cry to the one true God, the Creator-Lord of all men

With simple, progressive logic Paul establishes that only those who call upon the name of the Lord can be saved, only those who have believed in Him can call upon Him, only those who have heard of Him can believe in Him, only those who have a preacher can rightly hear of Him, and finally, no preacher can preach the true gospel who has not been sent by God. Viewed from another direction, Paul is saying that if God did not send preachers no one could hear, if no one could hear no one could believe, if no one could believe no one could call on the Lord, and if no one could call on Him no one could be saved.

— Again gathering OT support, Paul quotes from Isaiah, Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!”

— It is not that the physical feet of the preacher are beautiful

— But the wondrous glad tidings of good things that those feet carry to the ends of the earth

— The way of salvation has always been offered to all men everywhere

— As the Lord graciously promised through Jeremiah, ‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” ( Jer 29:13 )

— The incarnate Christ “was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man” ( John 1:9, emphasis added)

— And Christ told his disciples to go into the whole world for a witness to all the nations ( Matt 24:14)

The Predictions of Scripture ( 10:19-21 )

( Romans 10:19-21 ) “But I say, surely Israel did not know, did they? First Moses says, “I will make you jealous by that which is not a nation, By a nation without understanding will I anger you.” And Isaiah is very bold and says, “I was found by those who did not seek Me, I became manifest to those who did not ask for Me.” But as for Israel He says, “All the day long I have stretched out My hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.”

—Finally, Paul points out that Israel was ignorant of the predictions of their own Scripture

— Already proven throughout the book of Romans

— Jesus told them the same thing on several occasions

— did not know?

— What? That Gentiles would be included

— Paul reminds his readers that Moses said the same thing in Deut 32:21

— Moses says, “I will make you jealous by that which is not a nation, By a nation without understanding will I anger you.”

— God’s blessing of Gentiles who believe in Him would make His chosen people jealous and angry

— Moses wrote that the salvation message was to reach the Gentiles as well as the Jews

— Jesus depicted that truth in the parable of the who planted a vineyard and rented it out ( Matt 21:33 )

— When the vine-growers build, killed, or stoned two successive groups of slaves and then killed the son, the owner brought “those wretches to a wretched end”

— And he rented out the vineyard to other vine-growers ( vv. 34-41 )

— I am going to turn from you to other people

— If you don’t want to come to the banquet, I will find someone else that does ( Matt 22:1-10 )

— Israel, God’s chosen people, ignored His Word and sought Him in their own way on their own terms

— The Lord said, “All the day long I have stretched out My hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.”

— Disobedient (Apeitheo) literally means to contradict, to speak against

— Throughout her history, Israel had, for the most part, contradicted and opposed the truth of the God who had lovingly called her and graciously and patiently stretched out [His] hands to her

William Hendriksen

These lines from Isaiah 65:1 I was found by those who did not seek Me, I became manifest to those who did not ask for Me are even more incisive. If among those who first heard them there were any self-righteous Jews, they must have been shocked by this statement, especially in its present context. It is in the form of a paradox. By reminding the hearers that God was found by those who did not seek him, and was revealed to those tho did not ask for him, it emphasizes God’s sovereign right to bestow salvation on whomsoever he wills. In no sense is it true that man, by means of any merit he may dare to claim, brings about God’s saving attention. The Gentiles, their minds and hearts darkened by sin, and therefore not even asking for God’s help, receive it. Israel is passed by because of its obstinacy, as is clear from verse 21.

But as for Israel He says, “All the day long I have stretched out My hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.”

The passage indicates that Israel was fully responsible for the divine judgment that was pronounced on it. The fact that the nation day after day, week after week, year upon year, continued to be disobedient and to contradict God, even in spite of God’s outstretched hands of patience and invitation, made matters worse for Israel. The predominant impression Rom. 10:21 leaves upon a person is therefore one of gloom, not one of cheer. It is darkness rather than light upon which emphasis falls here. When God pronounces judgment on Israel he is not acting arbitrarily. Israel has earned that judgment. We cannot help thinking of these words of Jesus: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those that are sent to her! how often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under its wings, but you would not. Behold, your house is left to you a deserted place” (Matt 23:37, 38)

Additional Resources

MacArthur, Romans. Romans 1-8. Moody Press, 1987.

MacArthur, Romans. Romans 9-16. Moody Press, 1991.

MacArthur, John. New Testament Commentary. Moody, 1985.

MacArthur, John. Israel’s Failure, Part 1. gty.org. https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/45-75/israels-failure-part-1

MacArthur, John. Israel’s Failure, Part 2. gty.org. https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/45-76/israels-failure-part-2

MacArthur, John. Israel’s Failure, Part 2. gty.org. https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/45-77/israels-failure-part-3

MacArthur, John. Israel’s Failure, Part 2. gty.org. https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/45-78/israels-failure-part-4

MacArthur, John. Israel’s Failure, Part 2. gty.org. https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/45-79/israels-failure-part-5

MacArthur, John. Israel’s Failure, Part 2. gty.org. https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/45-80/israels-failure-part-6

MacArthur, John. Israel’s Failure, Part 2. gty.org. https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/45-81/israels-failure-part-7

William Hendriksen. Exposition of Paul's Epistle to the Romans. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1995.

Sproul, R.C. Romans: The Righteous Shall Live by Faith. Romans an expositional commentary. Ligonier Ministries. 2019.